Gig Alert: The Blakes at Hailey's in Denton Tonight

Those without plans for this Wednesday evening might want to think about heading to Denton to catch the Seattle-based The Blakes at Hailey's. For one, there's not too many acts channeling influences like The Who and The Kinks these days, and, two, The Blakes mix in enough of The Stooges to make things loud(er) and interesting.

The band's latest record, Souvenir, is filled with clever hooks and fulfills the promise the band first displayed on Little Whispers, its debut EP from 2005. It helps, of course, that frontman Garnet Keim has a voice that's equal parts candy and unfiltered cigarettes--and that dichotomy brings out the best in songs such as "Basket" and "So Easy."

Hailing from Seattle, this trio doesn't carry around any of the rainy gloom or grungy history commonly associated with that city. Instead, it's power chords played sort of softly, and songs with beats instead of just pulses.